There are many articles handled in industry which have distinctive features making their shapes appear asymmetric with respect to a datum such as a transverse midplane. A typical example of such an article is a common nail formed with a leading end having a point and a trailing end having a head. Such features become important when the article is put into its intended service. The distinctive features may also be important when handling the articles if uniform orientation is desired such as in loading a special packer or similar machine. Fortunately, many problems with uniformly orienting longitudinally asymmetrically shaped articles are solved with vibratory bowl feeders. Other problems are solved with machines which receive, sense and turn such articles as they are axially advanced.
Unlike most nails, some elongated articles also have transverse features which are irregular, making them further asymmetrically shaped with respect to a longitudinal datum. Such an article is typified in the electronics industry by some light emitting diodes (LEDs) having an optical head and leads depending therefrom along a generally central plane. The plane divides the head asymmetrically wherein lateral portions have distinctively different shapes to indicate electrical polarity for installation purposes. In the manufacture of such transversely asymmetric articles, portions thereof are sometimes treated in a manner relating to their transversely irregular features. For example, the LEDs described above sometimes have bottom portions of their leads offset in a given direction from the plane dividing the polarity indicating head. In a plurality of such articles of mixed orientation, all should be uniformly oriented in both longitudinal and transverse directions and preferably be thereby disposed in a single file to feed an operation such as lead shaping.
After such articles are vibratory loaded with heads upward in a single file, they are laterally advanced to and sometimes processed in a turntable having peripheral nests therein. The table is repeatedly rotationally indexed upon receiving successive ones of the articles which may be discharged into single file tracks. Unfortunately there are typically two types of files resulting therefrom, one having a uniformly desirable orientation and another having a uniformly undesirable orientation. A problem is that a turntable does not normally pass to a file an article having a first orientation, then turn an article having a second orientation and pass it to the same file. Consequently, in turning errant ones in a file of laterally advanced articles, a bypass arrangement with divergent and convergent tracks is sometimes utilized to achieve a single file of uniformly oriented articles.
It is incidentally noted that machines which receive, sense and turn longitudinally asymmetric articles which are axially advanced, do sometimes pass therethrough articles having a correct orientation. Unfortunately, such machines are not seen to address the problems associated with articles which are laterally advanced in a single file. Nor do the machines uniformly orient articles with respect to a transversely asymmetric shape.
Accordingly, it is desirable to develop new and improved expedients for orienting asymmetrically shaped articles. It is further desirable to uniformly orient articles which are asymmetrically shaped with respect to a longitudinal datum alone or also to a transverse datum. In a single file of such articles which are laterally advanced, it is desirable to turn errant ones to achieve a singular file of articles having a uniform orientation. It is also advantageous to achieve the desired orientation utilizing expedients which are simple, inexpensive and efficient.